Guide Recreated

 We recreated this scene from Guide at Mandu, with Shweta Kushal playing Waheeda (dancing) on the wall- originally at Chittorgarh.

Mandu Once More

 I never get tired of this place- once again, we went there last week. The excuse was that Prarthana was visiting. But it's a place that has great monuments and views. One of the buildings there- Hindola Mahal- inspired the architecture of IIM Indore recently. Proof of how photogenic the area is-

Madhya Pradesh

 Next to Karnataka, I may have stayed the longest in this state, if I discount Andhra Pradesh where I was born and brought up. Except for a visit to Jabalpur and Indore when in my teens, I did not know much about M.P. But it grew on me. I made a lot of friends who I found were very nice.. students, academic associates, faculty and staff who I had a chance to work with, all thanks to IIM Indore, my employer. I also discovered that many of my students from elsewhere belonged to M.P., and my respect for the state grew. Another reason

-my favourite singer, Kishore Kumar, grew up in Khandwa, not far from Indore.

Among faculty, Harsh Halve from IMT Nagpur was also in Indore (Jaipuria) for part of my stay, and Aditya Billore and Ashish were both my colleagues and in my area. Aditya and I also co-taught a course for the EPGP. IIM Indore has a beautiful campus, and some beautiful people living on it. Of course, they came from all over India, but I made many friends among FPM students, and PGPs (Mumbai too), PGP MX, and even IPMs, though I never formally taught them. Also, my fourth edition of Marketing Research got published there, and so did a book (edited) titled Digital Marketing Cases From India, with Romi Sainy as co-editor.

My Avatars on Earth- 4

A few more avatars remain. The golfer, for one.

 The Golfer- above, swinging away in Kodaikanal, and below- with Gadgil, Vijayakumar and Dhanapal at Munnar.

 The photographer (above, Mandu), and the photographed, as  Mexican-hat-wearing Indian in Clemson, USA.

Anniversary Thoughts

No, not the wedding anniversary, but of being here (Planet i, as we like to call it)- 5 years, out of 58 on the planet. Long time, no move. I think it's because of the constant newness of what happens around here, that it seems like a new place each year, while remaining comfortingly familiar. Of course, the students are new each year, and bring in a good part of the freshness..the sheer variety of things I have seen/done too. New faculty (around 60 added since I came), the countries I have visited since I came here (Vietnam was tops, closely followed by Cambodia, Japan and Indonesia), discovering how to play Golf on a cricket field, the Conference we did here with NASMEI, teaching exec. students in Mumbai, stints as MDP chair, and Dean Faculty and tea-time conversations in the corridor, developing new courses on Tourism and Digital Marketing, writing papers with IPM students and FPM students, the Google Online Challenge were some of the highlights of these five years. Oh, yeah, getting wi-fi as a result of my suggesting it 5 years ago too.

 Out in the open..campus views.

 Inside my office with re-united roomie after 1989.
Playing Baaz Bahadur at Mandu, my favourite destination near Indore.

In Search of Paradise

 A view of the Kishore Kumar Memorial, from a distance, and a close-up. Really happy we made the trip that we have been meaning to for a long time..his voice often seems divine.

 In case you were planning to visit it, we have our Paradise right here on earth.. proof above. And close to it, not geographically though, is Indore's own version, where Mamaji serves you chai and poha.

 And to top it, is the place which has architecturally been an inspiration to some of IIM Indore's structures- Hindola Mahal at Mandu (below).